About the name Duncan
Two real kings of Scotland were called Duncan before Shakespeare turned one of them into Macbeth's victim. The name is thoroughly solid rather than fashionable, a little like a good pair of boots, and it has never needed to be anything else.
Duncan is a boy name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin, pronounced DUNG-kun. On the NameRarity scale it scores 70 out of 100, which places it in the rare band — recognisable but seldom used. Distinctive without needing to be spelled out twice. Its strongest period was the 1990s.
Name facts at a glance
How popular is Duncan?
Duncan currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 16 people per million carry it — about 1 in 62,500. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.
Famous people named Duncan
- Duncan EdwardsManchester United footballer lost in the Munich air disaster
- Duncan JonesBritish film director of Moon and Source Code
Spellings and variants of Duncan
Names similar to Duncan
Declan
DEK-lun
Full of goodness
Lachlan
LOK-lun
From the land of lakes, warlike
Dorian
DOR-ee-un
Of the Dorian people
Shaurya
SHOWR-yah
Valour, heroism, warrior spirit
Callum
KAL-um
Dove
Damian
DAY-mee-an
To tame or subdue
Dhairya
DHYE-ryah
Courage, patience, steadiness of nerve
Dhaval
DHUH-vul
Dazzling white, pure and bright
Duncan — frequently asked questions
What does the name Duncan mean?
Duncan means "Brown warrior". It is a name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin, most often given to a boy.
How do you pronounce Duncan?
Duncan is pronounced DUNG-kun, with 2 syllables.
How rare is the name Duncan?
Duncan scores 70 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it rare. Roughly 1 in every 62,500 people carry it — about 16 per million.
What is the numerology number for Duncan?
Duncan carries the expression number 3, known as The Storyteller. Its soul urge number is 4 and its personality number is 8.
What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Duncan?
The lucky number for Duncan is 3 (with 12, 21, 30 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Lilac Amethyst. The traditional lucky day is Thursday and the associated gemstone is Amethyst.